Neil Rodenbeck is known to many for his kindness and generosity. In a strange twist of fate, what began as a routine act of giving—donating life-saving plasma—may have ultimately saved his own life.

For months, the 39-year-old had been donating plasma twice a week, a part of his routine driven by a deep desire to help others. However, in November of last year, something unexpected happened. A routine plasma donation revealed suspicious findings. The anomalies prompted Neil to seek medical attention and ultimately to his doctors investigating further resulting in a diagnosis of a rare form of leukemia called Hairy Cells.

“Neil is always finding ways to support others,” his wife, Emily, said. “I guess it’s only fitting that his cancer diagnosis came about because of his giving back through plasma donations.”

Up until that point, Neil hadn’t noticed any significant symptoms that would have warranted a doctor’s visit. The occasional bouts of fatigue he experienced were easy to attribute to his busy life. After all, he and Emily were juggling the demands of raising 7-year-old twin boys while also managing their own careers and responsibilities.

A turning point came while the family was on a road trip to visit Neil’s parents in Red Lodge for Thanksgiving when he received a phone call in regard to his pathology results. He was told that further testing was needed. In that moment, Neil wasn’t thinking ‘cancer’.

But Emily, who was on the threshold of earning her degree as a nurse practitioner, had a different reaction.

“I could tell right away from the pathology report that this wasn’t something minor and knew that life, as we knew it, was about to drastically change,” she said. After rounds of blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy, Neil was officially diagnosed with leukemia in May.

“Everything happened so fast,” Neil recalled. “One minute, I’m feeling fine, just donating plasma like usual, and the next, I’m told I have cancer.” Yet amid the fear and uncertainty, there was a glimmer of hope. His oncologist, Dr. Justin Thomas, explained that the early detection had given Neil the best possible chance for treatment success.

Over the next several months, during the long hours spent sitting in the infusion chair as part of his treatment plan, he often found himself staring out the window, gazing at the mundane parking lot bordered by rock gravel. It was in those moments that his desire to help others once again surfaced with an inspiration to beautify the space outside Bozeman Health Cancer Center, hoping to bring a sense of calm for future patients who, like him, would spend countless hours undergoing treatment.

He wasted no time, and in the weeks following his last immunotherapy infusion on July 22, Neil worked with Bozeman Health Foundation and the Cancer Center with his ideas and inspiration for ways he could help brighten the infusion experience for other cancer patients. First up, he purchased and donated colorful mums and Fall decor for the courtyard.

Seemingly, at least for Neil, acts of kindness and a little hope goes a long way. On October 8, Neil was declared to be cancer free. During Neil’s journey with healing from cancer, his desire to give back to others has only grown stronger, and he continues working with businesses such as Costco and Kenyon Noble and local artists to bring more acts of kindness and seasonal decor — and hope — to patients for their cancer treatment journeys.